Post by Dave on Aug 9, 2024 12:43:13 GMT
Match Referee Mark Bird
Referee Assistants Gary Hammon & Sam Gill
Referee Assistants Gary Hammon & Sam Gill
Final Score Stoke & Torbay Police 2 Okehampton Argyle 3
Match Preview
Its seems like only a week ago I put my camera away after covering my final game of the 2023/ 2024 season, the summer break just seems to be shorter in my mind.
A slightly delayed start for me this season and I could not have picked a better game to cover than this encounter. It was on the 12th August 2023 when I covered S&TP at home against Sidmouth Town, just a few days earlier I covered an FA Cup preliminary round replay between Brixham AFC and Okehampton Argyle.
While the young Bees side that day were beaten by four goals to one, I said in my match report the team was much better than the score might suggest, it just needed to work on its defence. By the time I covered them on the 2nd March 2024 they had reached 12th place in the league table and had enjoyed eight wins in total. A good result for a young developing side in their fist season back in the Southwest Peninsula Premier East Division, after playing in the Devon League the season before.
I have been so impressed with the Stoke & Torbay Police club recently, Torbay Police has breathed new life into the Stoke club and it is now a club very much on the up. Recent ground improvements have greatly improved the ground and there will be more to come from this forward thinking club.
A number of new players have joined the club this season and they have done very well to keep hold of their star player Saul Vaines for one more season, but this young man will most certainly be playing at a higher level at some point.
Okehampton Argyle is a very good club that has also made many good improvements to their Simmons Park ground. On the 5th August last season they were at home against Western league club Brixham AFC in an FA Cup preliminary round in front of 483 spectators. Brixham were two nil up at halftime, but a 81st minute goal from Luke Reynolds and a very late goal scored in the 93rd minute of the match by Luke Mortimore, earned them with a reply.
The replay played on the 8th August went into extra time after neither side were able to score and in the second period of extra time on 110 minutes Luke Alden scored for Okehampton. Just sixty seconds later Ben Bickle was able to lift the ball over the out rushing Brixham keeper into the back of the net to make it two nil and knock Brixham AFC out of the cup.
Today’s game is going to be a big test for the Bees and an opportunity to see how the team is progressing. In their opening game of this season played on the 3rd August, they were away against Sidmouth Town and were winning the game at halftime by two goals to one. Not sure what happened to them in the second half as they ended up losing the game by six goals to two.
Onto their first home game of the season on Tuesday evening 6th August against Teignmouth AFC how would the team respond to their loss against Sidmouth? I have covered a number of Teignmouth games and know how good they can be on their day. I was surprised when I learnt the Bees had won the game by four goals to nil (a brace from Saul Vanes) it was a great result and one that got their goal difference back to zero.
Okehampton kicked off this season on Wednesday 7th August at home against Torrington AFC in front of 182 spectators and the game ended in a one all draw. Its early days in the new season but the Bees are currently sitting in 7th place in the league table on three points.
Okehampton are in 9th place on one point with a game in hand over the Bees. This is a great opportunity for the Bees to open up an even bigger gap over Okehampton and make a strong statement to all the other clubs in this league.
May the best team win.
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Match Report
I watched Okehampton Argyle knock Brixham AFC from the Western League out of the FA Cup last season, I knew the Bees would have to be at their very best if they had any hope of getting something out of this game. Despite going behind so early in the game the Bees grew into the first half and went in at halftime with the score one all.
I felt for Saul Vanes in the first half, always creating so much space for himself on the right hand side and the ball never being played to him. Instead of looking up to spot Sauls runs, the Bees midfield players ended up losing the ball on the halfway line time after time.
The Bees defence made it all to easy for Okehampton to take the lead on eight minutes and after working so hard to get back onto level terms, they gifted Okehampton the lead again in the second half. Okehamptons third goal was scored in confused circumstances and as good as put any hopes of the Bees getting anything from the game.
Saul Vanes scored a wonder goal late in the match and created a great chance after that for Callum Barber who fired over the crossbar. Its early in the season, some things to work on, but I saw enough to know the Bees are a decent side and should do well this season.
The pitch looked wonderful as does the ground and even the sun made a welcomed appearance. The match referee got the game underway and Okehampton started the better of the two teams.
It was no real surprise when Okehampton took the lead on the eight minute mark, but where was the Bees defence. A simple low ball was played to the edge of the Bees box from the left hand side to the waiting Luke Mortimore. He seemed to have all the time in the world to take a touch and fire the ball low just inside the left hand post giving Chris Wearing no chance of making a save.
Okehampton won the first corner of the game and played the ball back to the edge of the box, Josh Robins hit a very wild first time shot that went well wide of the target.
The Bees played a good long ball into the Okehampton box that found Ben Aldous. Ben turned this way and then that way but with no player too pass to found himself surrounded by three players and had the ball taken off him.
The Bees had a good chance to get back onto level terms when Saul Vanes went on a run down the right hand side of the pitch. He cut back inside and got a good left foot shot away that Jack Arthur in goal for Okehampton did well to push around his left hand post and behind for a Bess corner.
The Bees were enjoying a good spell in the match and won a free kick out on the right hand side. The ball was fired low in the box and came back to Alfie Slough who got a shot away that clipped the top of the crossbar.
The Bees then got the reward their hard work deserved, Ben Aldous was put through on goal with the Okehampton keeper making a good save, the ball came back just outside the box and Alfie Slough smashed the ball home with real power.
Okehampton had a chance to retake the lead when Dan Koita took a shot from the edge of the Bees box, but he dragged his shot just wide of the left hand post.
Dan Koita then went past three Bees players with ease before being brought down on the edge of the box by Bees Tom Dunlop. Okehampton wanted a penalty but it was not given, Tom received the first yellow card of the match. Owen Pickard took the free kick which hit a player in the wall and crashed onto the crossbar and back into play.
The Bees continued to get the ball robbed off them in the midfield, as I said all that was needed was to look up and play the ball into space for Saul Vanes to run onto. The referee blew up for halftime and I felt one all was a fair enough score.
The Bees won a very early free kick at the start of the second half that was wasted. The manager was have said something as the Bees players where no looking for Saul Vanes. He received the ball and hit a powerful shot from the right hand side and the keeper did well to get down and make a save.
The Bees Ben Aldous did some great work out on the left hand side of the pitch, beating his man with ease and getting a shot away from the edge of the box that only just went wide of the left hand post.
The Bees then gave Okehampton the lead , Callum Childress was outside the left had side of the Bees box and played a backward pass to nobody. Luke Alden picked up the loose ball 25 yards out and lobbed it over the Bees keeper who was off his goal line. It was a goal against the run of play when there was no danger at all.
It was soon three goals to one when there seemed to be some confusion out on the pitch. A Okehampton player went down with a head injury and nearly all of the players stopped expecting the referee to stop the game. But a great through ball played in the Okehampton substitute Owen Pickard who slotted the ball under the advancing keeper.
One Okehampton player then had to leave the field of play with blood poring from his head after a coming to with a Bees player when they both hit the deck.
The Bees then won their first corner of the second half and the ball was played back to Saul Vanes. Saul made a good run into the box but his final touch was a bit to hard and the ball ran away from him.
Okehampton took charge of the match again and were playing a neat passing game; the Bees were now looking a bit ragged and short of ideas.
The Bees Tom Dunlop hit a very wild 20 yard effort on goal when there were players in the Okehampton box he should have tried to pass too. Saul Vanes had left the right hand side of the pitch and was playing more like a centre forward. He then scored the goal of the match from 25 yards out. Low and so powerful, one that would be replayed over and over again on a televised match.
Saul then took on three players and somehow kept the ball and laid it off to Callum Barber who hit it first time but over the crossbar, the final chance gone and had it gone in then the Bees would have got the point their hard work deserved. But this is football, giving a soft goal away so often proves to be costly.
That was it I rally enjoyed the match and would like to thank everyone at Stoke for such a warm welcome, also Alex Gray Okehamptons captain who chatted with me after the match for a good 20 minutes.
